Anti-corruption strategies reinforced in Min. of Environment

Strategies to tackle corruption in sectors that were often neglected in the Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development have been reinforced following the validation of results of a study conducted by a consultant.

The strategies were reinforced last August 1 during a validation workshop of the study that evaluates the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy in this ministry chaired on behalf of Minister Helle Pierre by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development, Akwa Patrick Kum Bong, at the Information and Documentation Centre on Environment in Yaoundé.

Speaking during the occasion, Mr Akwa Patrick underlined that the target of the ministry is to considerably reduce corruption in the environment sector in Cameroon, by the year 2015.

Presenting results of the study, the consultant, Dr Talla Marius said activities and services constitute opportunities for corruption in the ministry of environment. He added that officials of the devolved services of the ministry are less vulnerable to corruption than their counterparts of the central services who can show up to influence peddling.

The study proposed that corruption can be reduced in this ministry through education of the population, improve conditions of agents sent to the field for control, reward hardworking staff and incite the culture of hard work and merit. Sanction was also advanced as an efficient tool to curb the spread of corruption in the ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development.

The Secretary General stressed that “We lay emphasis on prevention rather than repression because before you punish someone, he must have already committed corruption acts which tarnish not only the ministry but Cameroon as a whole. Results of this study have shown us that there were areas which we could never imagine that somebody will ask for special favour before carrying out an activity. These results will help us to be more vigilant.”